LARGO, Fla. — A notice filed by the state of Florida shows prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a local plastic surgeon charged with first-degree murder in the case of a missing Largo attorney.
In the notice, State Attorney Bruce Bartlett officially filed with the intent to seek the death penalty for 44-year-old Tomasz Kosowski.
The Pinellas County plastic surgeon has been charged with the murder of Steven Cozzi, a Tampa Bay-area attorney who went missing under "suspicious circumstances," the Largo Police Department previously reported.
"The State of Florida intends to prove, and has reason to believe it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt... aggravating circumstances," the notice read, in part.
The specific aggravating circumstances include:
- The capital felony was committed for pecuniary gain
- The capital felony was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel
- The capital felony was a homicide and was committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense or moral or legal justification.
Police responded on Tuesday, March 21, to reports of a missing person. Officers said they learned that Cozzi, 41, had left his office on Belcher Road without his wallet, car keys or cell phone. According to investigators, Cozzi was never seen exiting the building, and his car was left behind.
During the investigation, police said they discovered a strong chemical odor in the men's bathroom of the office and small drops of blood.
"A subsequent forensics investigation revealed a significant amount of blood in the same bathroom," the police department wrote.
This led investigators to begin searching for a "suspicious person" and a vehicle that was spotted at the office building.
Police obtained a search warrant for the $1.4 million Tarpon Springs home of Kosowski. Officers said they found evidence in the home that led to a traffic stop of Kosowski's car on Saturday, March 25.
Kosowski was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. According to police, Cozzi's body has yet to be found.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu and Claire Farrow contributed to this report.